Turkey Survey

[Katie H]

Yep, Pytn, I've seen the commercial. In the end the turkey looks as big as the 33-pounder I cooked about 15 years ago.

As for how we cook our turkey, I have been brining them in recent years. Nothing fancy, just salt and water.

However, I make a mixture of melted butter and white wine and submerge a lot of cheesecloth in it and then drape it over the top of the turkey. While the turkey bakes, breast up, I baste with the remaining butter/white wine mixture.

Our turkey is always Norman Rockwell bronze and moist. Been doing this for years and years so it's one of those "if it ain't broke; don't break it" situations.

 

[*amy*]

... (has anyone seen that commercial this year where this girl is fumbling with a turkey in her kitchen sink and it keeps slipping out of her hands, onto the floor, etc. etc. eventually flings out through the window and knocks out the guy standing outside?).

This one?

YouTube - Big Turkey Thanksgiving
Yes.

 

[VeraBlue]

Hiya
In the summer, I brine and then smoke the turkeys. Nothing stopping me from doing that for Thanksgiving except I am loathe to touch the coal while I'll all dressed (up). Besides that, I love the aroma the house takes on when there is a turkey roasting in the oven.

I brine the turkey, and bake it, stuffed and covered at 325, basting occasionally. The final half hour, I uncover it, turn the heat up to 400.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, Goodweed.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Until recently I never realized there was so much mystique & drama out there concerning how best to roast a turkey. What a hoot!

We order an organic free-range turkey from Whole Foods every year & I just put that luscious baby on a strong V-Rack in a large roasting pan, rub it with a melted butter/extra-virgin olive oil/herb mixture, & roast until just done (around 165 on a meat thermometer), since it will continue cooking when removed to "rest" for about 20-30 minutes. I usually start with a preheated 450-degree oven for just the first 15 minutes, then turn it down to 350 for the rest of the cooking time which, of course, depends on the size of the bird. Forty-five minutes before it "should" be done, I start checking with the meat thermometer.

No brining, no gymnastics, no fuss, no muss. Once the bird is in, I can just relax. We have yet to be disappointed in any way, shape, or form. Both white & dark meat come out moist, juicy, & delicious; skin is bronze & crisp. And the best part? The leftover meat stays just as moist, juicy, & delicious as when the bird first came out of the oven. It's FABULOUS.

While I'm all for trying new things, our turkeys come out so good every year, I really can't see any reason to try anything else.

 

[sage™]

I have discovered that no matter how I cook it, its best if I let it rest breast side down, it is the juiciest. lol..I had never heard to do this from any place but I thought I would try it one year and it worked...gotta love gravity.

If you like the skin.one of the best ways to eat it is to put some skin between some paper towels and put it in the microwave and nuke it.(few secs at a time) Its very crispy and melts all the fat away..skin from a cooked turkey

 

[PytnPlace]

This one?

YouTube - Big Turkey Thanksgiving
Yes.

Yup, that's it!!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

The acrobatics and drama of turkey is the reason I started this post. Breezy, what you said is what I'm saying, just with a bit of explanation (Ok, a whole lot of explanation) thrown in to strengthen my position. Turkey is really easy, with no fuss, and no gymnastics required.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[suziquzie]

Brined is always good, as a combo effort 2 of us spent about 40 bucks on an Emeril brine w/ dark beer once. Waste of good beer! The plain ol salt water was just as good!!

Deep fried never draws a complaint either.....

I wonder if you could deep fry a brined turkey? Too much splattering I would think.

 

[Bacardi]

Placing herbs and aromatics under the skin will add flavor to the turkey flesh, as will inserting lardoons.

And if you want to play a bit, there are a host of glazes that go great on turkey skin. Honey comes to mind, as does maple syrup. But if so inclined to use a glaze, remember that sugars burn quickly and so temperature control must be carefully maintained thoughout the cooking process.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

Great tips. I've never had luck with separating the skin from the fresh during craving. When you crave the skin doesn't stay on. I prefer to inject flavors as the skin and flesh stay connected.

Blow torch on 2:1 ratio of Cinnamon and sugar for the best possible glaze.

First throw away those pop up timers they are notorious for being off. Then road how ever testing with a instant read thermometer to 151 in the thigh and Brest let it set for a good 30 minutes then enjoy

Use your own thermo but leave the popup one intact, if you remove it liquid will gush out during the cooking process...

I've tried everything. Injecting, butter under the skin, brining, basting, tenting etc. etc. Cooking upside down was the most comical (has anyone seen that commercial this year where this girl is fumbling with a turkey in her kitchen sink and it keeps slipping out of her hands, onto the floor, etc. etc. eventually flings out through the window and knocks out the guy standing outside?). Brining works the best for me, actually it's quite delicious. No matter what I do, my picky hubby thinks the only thing good about a turkey is the skin.

Cooking upside down will result in juicy breast meat, but a soggy skin. Also can have an ugly bird with the V-Rack indentation if you're using one. It's all about what's important to you.

Deep fried never draws a complaint either.....

I wonder if you could deep fry a brined turkey? Too much splattering I would think.

You can.

Also wanted to add one more tip about injecting. Do not use butter and other ingredients together in your injections assuming you inject the day before. Use brooth and spices then butter separately. Otherwise the butter will turn solid and suspend the spices which prevents it from flavoring the meat.

 

[BreezyCooking]

LOL! What a travesty.

Does anyone besides me remember when Thanksgiving wasn't such a darn frou-frou affair? You had the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes (& sometimes white as well), several green veggies, canned cranberry sauce, & a few different pies for dessert.

No one complained if the white meat of the turkey was dry (although it more often than not wasn't), there was no "Emeril 'BAM'" in any of the sides, & no one was trying to outdo anyone else with a "gourmet" side dish. Lord, I miss that when I talk to or visit friends. Thanksgiving seems to have evolved into some sort of competition.

Luckily, I do recreate the old days somewhat. We have our organic free-range turkey (my only nod to somewhat "new" food - lol), but I usually make basic Pepperidge Farm stuffing, creamed garlic spinach, plain baked & buttered sweet & white potatoes, good old green bean casserole, & yes, PERISH THE THOUGHT, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls!!!! Send me to hades right now - lol!!

It all turns out good, homey, & without all the frou-frou that I feel so often sucks the life out of holidays these days.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

LOL! What a travesty.

Does anyone besides me remember when Thanksgiving wasn't such a darn frou-frou affair? You had the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes (& sometimes white as well), several green veggies, canned cranberry sauce, & a few different pies for dessert.

No one complained if the white meat of the turkey was dry (although it more often than not wasn't), there was no "Emeril 'BAM'" in any of the sides, & no one was trying to outdo anyone else with a "gourmet" side dish. Lord, I miss that when I talk to or visit friends. Thanksgiving seems to have evolved into some sort of competition.

Luckily, I do recreate the old days somewhat. We have our organic free-range turkey (my only nod to somewhat "new" food - lol), but I usually make basic Pepperidge Farm stuffing, creamed garlic spinach, plain baked & buttered sweet & white potatoes, good old green bean casserole, & yes, PERISH THE THOUGHT, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls!!!! Send me to hades right now - lol!!

It all turns out good, homey, & without all the frou-frou that I feel so often sucks the life out of holidays these days.

Again I agree with you. The onbly thing I was trying to accomplish with this thread was to let everyone know how easy it is to make a really good turkey by cooking to the right temperature. All of the other things, in my opinion, are just there to make people think the TV chef's know what they are doing, to make them seem somehow more competant. Turkey is very easy to do right. No fuss, no bother.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[jpmcgrew]

I think the whole trick is to pull turkey out before it hits the temp suggested as it cooks another 10-15 degrees after you pull it.I also think the bigger the turkey the better the chances it will be dry.I have made the bigger ones with adding a bit of water to bottom of pan every so often.Not to say Im a master with turkey I think its so easy its hard.Im thinking this year instead of cooking 1 huge turkey I will cook 2 smaller ones I think the quicker they cook the more moist(I hope) they will be.Last but not least keep some warm chicken or turkey stock if the turkey is dry just slice cover with some stock and cover pan with foil and warm a bit in oven.It will be really moist after that in fact it will be really moist.Thats how you save a dry turkey. I still dont know if the bag is better it seems to be as it holds the moisture in.I think stuffing cavity with onions,oranges and lemons also helps with the moisture.Dang it.I think if we cooked them more than once or twice a year we would be better at it.

 

[Crash]

Most turkeys come with a plastic gizmo that holds or ties the drumsticks together near the cavity opening. I've always used it because it seems like a good way to hold the stuffing in the cavity.

It seems to me that by pulling the legs and therefore thighs together against the carcass, a bigger mass is created for heat to penetrate and cook (more so if the bird is stuffed).

Has anyone experimented with cooking a turkey without doing so i.e. "spread eagle style"? Or go a step further and cut the skin between the carcass and the thighs, exposing the inner thighs?

Would that help the legs and thighs cook at the same rate as the breast?

Any thoughts?

 

[BreezyCooking]

Oh no, Goodweed - I didn't mean that with reference to your turkey-cooking survey - I meant in general: magazines, tv cooking programs, etc.

For instance, husband & I were in Border's Books the other day & I was leafing thru some cooking magazine that, of course, had a huge Thanksgiving spread outlined that was really over the top. We started laughing because we figured if we wanted to have that - even for just the 2 of us - I'd have to start cooking NOW, it would probably cost around $500 easy, & I'd be too exhausted on the big day to even watch the Macy's parade on tv.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Oh no, Goodweed - I didn't mean that with reference to your turkey-cooking survey - I meant in general: magazines, tv cooking programs, etc.

For instance, husband & I were in Border's Books the other day & I was leafing thru some cooking magazine that, of course, had a huge Thanksgiving spread outlined that was really over the top. We started laughing because we figured if we wanted to have that - even for just the 2 of us - I'd have to start cooking NOW, it would probably cost around $500 easy, & I'd be too exhausted on the big day to even watch the Macy's parade on tv.

It's truly sad to me that every good thing, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, even Mother's and Father's day, and all the rest, are manipulated by big buisness, which is assisted by the media, to increase their "bottom line". I know that profit is required for keeping a business afloat and solvent. But when money, or creating the perfect meal, or giving the perfect gift, etc., becomes the sole focus in life, the events, personal relationships with family, freinds, spouses, and faith become lost. And these are the things that really bring happiness. I would rather serve a simple meal, and spend my time playing pick-up sticks with a 7 year-old niece, than presenting the perfect meal with every side-dish imaginable. The latter would certainly get me oohs, and ahhs, but then my memories would be about a momentary boost in ego, rather than the continuing love of that 7-year old. And anyone who knows me knows that I value bringing joy to my family more than any other thing in this world.

That's not to say that if I'm responsible for bringing the turkey, that I'm not going to make it the best turkey that I can, but simply, that I'm going to do that in such a way that I have more time to be with, and do things with those I love.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[wysiwyg]

This comment relates more to Turkey tasting rather than the way to cook a Turkey.
I figure this will also contributes significantly to the final product, perhaps belongs to another forum.

According to Cook's Illustrated November 2007, they sampled 8 different brands of Turkey including kosher, fresh, frozen, basted, etc. etc. All turkeys were cooked according to their Roasted Brined Turkey recipe (Nov./Dec. 2004), which I don't have. These are the results of their assessment.

Brands highly recommended: RUBASHKIN'S AARON'S BEST (kosher, $1.99 per pound) and WALTER HATCHERY HERITAGE BREED (Frozen, $7.14 per pound)

Brands recommended: BUTTERBALL (Frozen basted, $1.49 per pound) and JENNIE-O (Fresh basted, $1.49 per pound)

Brands Recommended with reservations: EMPIRE KOSHER (Fresh kosher, $2.69 per pound), SHADY BROOKS FARMS (Fresh, $1.29 per pound), GOOD EARTH FARMS ORGANIC PASTURE_RAISED (Shipped frozen from Winsconsin farm, $2.49 plus shipping) and DIESTEL FAMILIY TURKEY RANCH (Frozen, $1.99 per pound)

They also explain that the higher content of fat in the meat will result in more flavor and moisture, therefore, the older the animal, the taste will improve.
Commercial animals grow so fast, they hardly develop flavor so producers use basting as an alternative to improve this. Koshering is another way to improve flavor since salt is a natural enhancer and helps retain moisture.
IMO, the article is very interesting and helpful.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Total agreement & kudos Goodweed!!!

Now that's not to say that I don't try a new dish now & then for the holidays, but some of these "you MUST make this if you want to host an "in" holiday" just turn me.

 

[jennyema]

I brine and use Alton Brown roasting method. Foolprrof.

Basting does nothing to make turkey meat moist. Skin is a very effective moisture barrier. You need to get under the skin to moisten the meat. Basting helps make the skin brown up but it lowers the oven temp and prolongs cooking time, which can actually dry out the breast meat.

 

[sage™]

I have put some of the turkeys fat from other places on it under the skin on the breast.

 

[lyndalou]

You are right on the money once again Goodweed. As far as having moist turkey, I have seen (on one show or another) a chef dip cheesecloth into melted butter and then drape it over the chicken then continue to baste with more butter (every half hour or so). Has anyone tried that method?